Scottish Executive

Asylum Seekers

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20817 by Nicol Stephen on 28 December 2001, what recourse asylum seeking families have to ensure that their school age children are given full rights to a school education under the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000.

Nicol Stephen: The operation of facilities for asylum seekers is the responsibility of the Home Office. However, where school education is provided by a local authority, families seeking asylum have the same means of recourse available to them as other families who have concerns about the education being provided for their child by a local authority. Those means include seeking resolution through the authority's complaints procedures or if necessary seek to challenge the decision or action of the local authority in court.

  In practice, such families may wish to raise their concerns through support organisations for asylum seeking families or through liaison officers appointed by local authorities.

Child Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been prosecuted for offences involving child prostitution in each of the last five years.

Colin Boyd QC: Data is only available for the last three years.

  Records indicate that there have been no reports of offences involving child prostitution in that period.

Community Care

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities fund independent living services or jointly fund care packages under the Independent Living Fund and how many such packages have been funded in each local authority area in each of the last three years.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on independent living services and which local authorities fund them, is not held centrally.

  The Independent Living Fund is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and data relating to the fund is not held by the Scottish Executive.

Digital Scotland

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21235 by Nicol Stephen on 16 January 2002, whether the meeting with senior BBC representatives has now taken place and, if so, what the outcomes of the meeting were.

Nicol Stephen: Nicol Stephen met representatives of the BBC on 6 June 2002. BBC representatives outlined its proposal to develop and roll out the Digital Curriculum and indicated to the minister that the proposal was currently the subject of a consultation by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). It was agreed that there would be further discussion once a decision had been reached by DCMS.

Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill will have on the provision of social rented housing.

Ms Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26834 on 1 July 2002.

NHS Waiting Times

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting times are for homeopathy treatment in each NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: Homeopathy treatment is provided in out-patient clinics or in general practice. Information on waiting times for homeopathy is available centrally only for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant following referral by a General Medical Practitioner.

  The median waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in homeopathy, following referral by a General Medical Practitioner, in the year ending 31 December 2001, by NHS board of residence, is given in the table.

  NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times for a First Out-patient Appointment with a Consultant in Homeopathy, Following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS Board of Residence. Year Ended 31 December 2001P.

  


NHS Board 
  

Median Wait 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

350 days 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

362 days 
  



Borders 
  

138 days 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

337 days 
  



Fife 
  

154 days 
  



Forth Valley 
  

344 days 
  



Grampian 
  

111 days 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

369 days 
  



Highland 
  

55 days 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

330 days 
  



Lothian 
  

103 days 
  



Orkney 
  

452 days 
  



Shetland 
  

384 days 
  



Tayside 
  

155 days 
  



Western Isles 
  

314 days 
  



Scotland 
  

244 days 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR00.

  PProvisional

NHS Waiting Times

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time for an appointment to see an orthopaedic surgeon in each NHS board area (a) is currently and (b) was in each of the last three years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with an orthopaedic consultant, following referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS board of residence, for the years ending 31 March 1999, 2000 and 2001, and the nine months to 31 December 2001, are given in the table.

  NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times for a First Outpatient Appointment with an Orthopaedic Consultant, Following a General Medical Practitioner Referral, by NHS Board of Residence. Years Ended 31 March 1999, 2000, and 2001 and 9 Months To 31 December 2001P.

  

 

Year Ended 
  

Year Ended 
  

Year Ended 
  

9 Months To 
  



NHS BOARD 
  

31 March 1999 
  

31 March 2000 
  

31 March 2001 
  

31 December 2001P




Argyll and Clyde 
  

84 days 
  

78 days 
  

73 days 
  

84 days 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

50 days 
  

71 days 
  

79 days 
  

80 days 
  



Borders 
  

55 days 
  

71 days 
  

70 days 
  

70 days 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

81 days 
  

69 days 
  

91 days 
  

80 days 
  



Fife 
  

81 days 
  

72 days 
  

76 days 
  

79 days 
  



Forth Valley 
  

 89 days 
  

125 days 
  

160 days 
  

147 days 
  



Grampian 
  

61 days 
  

58 days 
  

75 days 
  

 91 days 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

101 days 
  

98 days 
  

104 days 
  

118 days 
  



Highland 
  

119 days 
  

138 days 
  

87 days 
  

93 days 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

103 days 
  

130 days 
  

115 days 
  

115 days 
  



Lothian 
  

82 days 
  

85 days 
  

88 days 
  

97 days 
  



Orkney 
  

28 days 
  

42 days 
  

42 days 
  

36 days 
  



Shetland 
  

52 days 
  

48 days 
  

60 days 
  

41 days 
  



Tayside 
  

44 days 
  

53 days 
  

63 days 
  

74 days 
  



Western Isles 
  

59 days 
  

68 days 
  

61 days 
  

51 days 
  



Scotland 
  

72 days 
  

78 days 
  

85 days 
  

91 days 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland, SMR00.

  PProvisional

Schools

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what further plans it has to improve discipline in schools.

Cathy Jamieson: The recent Discipline Task Group report, Better Behaviour – Better Learning , made 36 recommendations aimed at improving discipline in schools. These recommendations are currently being implemented by the Scottish Executive, local authorities and individual schools following the Joint Action Plan published in December 2001. During 2001-02, the Scottish Executive made available initial funding of £13 million to local authorities to assist with this implementation.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Mr Duncan Hamilton (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what opportunities there will be for local authorities, interested parties and the general public to contribute to the review of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) announced on 28 May 2002 and when the review is expected to be completed.

Allan Wilson: A series of seminars for SEPA's stakeholders are being held as part of the review. The first of these took place on 17 June. Others are planned for September. A consultation document, which takes account of comments made by those present at the 17 June seminar, will be published soon. It will provide stakeholders with another means of contributing to the review. Completion of the review is expected by summer 2003.

Water Charges

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agreed to or required the replacement of exemptions from water and waste water charges under SI 1992/1331 and SI 1992/2955 by the former water authorities with a discretionary concession; if so, when it did so, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the provisions of SI 1992/1331 and SI 1992/2955, the recovery of non-domestic water charges in respect of registered care homes by Scottish Water is appropriate and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Ross Finnie: The Statutory Instruments (SIs) referred to relate to council tax. Council tax is payable on all "dwellings" within the meaning of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (section 72(2)). SI 1992/2955 varies the definition of dwelling for the purposes of that act and SI 1992/1331 prescribes classes of dwelling in respect of which special provision as to liability for council tax is made.

  An appeal case, due to be heard by the Court of Session, will consider the proper interpretation of statutory provisions relating to the definition of a dwelling for council tax purposes and how those provisions relate to the liability of an occupier of premises to pay water and sewerage charges.

  In these circumstances, it would be entirely inappropriate for the Scottish Executive to comment.